A group of 68 lawmakers yesterday sent a letter to the CFTC, demanding that immediate position limits be promulgated under the Dodd-Frank bill. The lawmakers wrote that the rule is a year late, noting that Congress had determined "that speculative position limits are an effective and critically important tool to address excessive speculation" in U.S. oil and gasoline markets.Members of Congress pointed out that it is the CFTC's duty to ensure that oil and gasoline prices are fair, and that markets "operate free from fraud, abuse, and manipulation." The letter also mentions that oil and gas prices are higher today than they were in 2009, when the national average price for a gallon of gas was only $1.90.This point is very similar to the on...
What You Need to Know Today: Declining crop conditions ratings and shaky results from the Pro Farmer crop tour sent grains sharply higher on Tuesday. The Pro Farmer tour in Ohio pegged the state yield at 180.18 BPA, about 5.5 BPA below the tour’s 2025 estimate. Similarly, the Pro Farmer...
Based on a Depression-era statute, President Trump imposed 50 percent tariffs on $20 billion of exports to the U.S., or about 5.2 percent of the $383 billion worth of goods the U.S. imported from Canada in 2025, according to U.S. Census Bureau data. Of that total, about $39.3 billion was agricu...
Key Takeaways: Brazil’s growing role in global agriculture is accompanied by a major vulnerability: the country imports approximately 88 percent of its fertilizer needs. High natural gas costs and development challenges have limited domestic nitrogen and potash production despite Brazil&...
From WPI Consulting
Weighing in on strategic realignment
WPI’s team was retained by the governing board of a U.S. industry organization to review a decision, reached by vote, to invest significant assets into the development and management of an export trading company. WPI’s team conducted a formal review of this decision and concluded that the current level of market saturation would limit the benefits of the investment. Based on WPI’s analysis and recommended actions, the board subsequently reversed its decision and undertook a strategic planning effort to identify more impactful investments. On behalf of numerous clients, WPI has not only assisted in identifying strategic paths but also advised their implementation.